With an unprecedented number of draft picks signing contracts early, thanks to a CBA that makes it more formulaic than ever to work out the details of deals, it would be easy to assume that the momentum will continue until all of the deals are done, perhaps by Memorial Day.

It would be easy, but it very well could be wrong.

Though thereís not all that much to negotiate when it comes to first-round contracts, one potential sticking point comes from the extent to which the money is fully guaranteed for all four years. In 2011, the first 20 picks received four-year, fully-guaranteed contracts. Three-year guarantees applied as of the 22nd pick, Colts lineman Anthony Castonzo.

At pick 21, the Browns and defensive lineman Phil Taylor worked out a compromise that would make his fourth-year income guaranteed or put him on the open market early in the league year, giving him an extended opportunity to make the money with a new team.

In 2012, picks in the range of 21 to 25 could take some extra time, as agents try to pull the four-year guarantee deeper into the round ó or, at a minimum, to slide the formula that the Browns used when negotiating Taylorís deal to lower selections.

Making things even more interesting is the fact that the Patriots, who have been known to drive a hard bargain with first-round picks (just ask Ben Watson), hold spot No. 21, for which they traded up used to select defensive end Chandler Jones. Also, the Browns devoted pick No. 22 to a quarterback, Brandon Weeden, who may be able to get the same deal one spot lower that Taylor got last year with the 21st pick, especially by pointing to the loose notion that quarterbacks deserve a better deal that non-quarterbacks taken at the same spot.

Then the question becomes whether the players taken with picks 23 (Riley Reiff of the Lions), 24 (David DeCastro of the Steelers), and 25 (Dontía Hightower of the Patriots) will be able to yank the Taylor/Weeden formula deeper into the round.

Chances are the Patriots wonít go for it at No. 25, which would set the floor on the three-year guarantee. That leaves Reiff and DeCastro to possibly wait it out. Possibly past the Fourth of July.

Just great. All this good feeling and now DeCastro goes out and gets Alan Faneca as an agent.

RuthlessBurgher

05-14-2012, 03:39 PM

Just great. All this good feeling and now DeCastro goes out and gets Alan Faneca as an agent.

This has nothing to do with DeCastro or his agent...this is merely Florio's conjecture about any picks in the mid-20's possibly being difficult to negotiate (compared to everyone else, which has been relatively straightforward thus far), since last year had the top 20 picks get guaranteed 4 year contracts, picks 22 and up getting guaranteed 3 year contracts, and pick 21 getting a sort-of-in-between-compromise. There is no specific intel out there yet about what DeCastro or his agent will be looking for in his contract. Regardless of who we picked at #24, negotiating a contract for any of the picks in the early-to-mid-twenties might be a little bit hairy, based on what happened last year.

Oviedo

05-14-2012, 03:52 PM

This has nothing to do with DeCastro or his agent...this is merely Florio's conjecture about any picks in the mid-20's possibly being difficult to negotiate (compared to everyone else, which has been relatively straightforward thus far), since last year had the top 20 picks get guaranteed 4 year contracts, picks 22 and up getting guaranteed 3 year contracts, and pick 21 getting a sort-of-in-between-compromise. There is no specific intel out there yet about what DeCastro or his agent will be looking for in his contract. Regardless of who we picked at #24, negotiating a contract for any of the picks in the early-to-mid-twenties might be a little bit hairy, based on what happened last year.

I was making a joke. Get it...Ha Ha Ha

Vindrow

05-14-2012, 08:37 PM

Why would anyone take anything that Florio says seriously.

steelblood

05-15-2012, 02:52 PM

This concerns me as much as the frog rain from the movie "Magnolia."

http://fusionanomaly.net/magnoliafrogsgosplashinswimmingpoolsteam.jpg

NW Steeler

05-15-2012, 02:55 PM

All I needed to see was Florio and I stopped reading.

aggiebones

05-16-2012, 11:30 AM

Frankly, the Steelers won't budge til NE does, especially if they are driving a hard bargain. Then we say, see, noone gets it after 20.

But I don't see anything about DeCastro doing anything. His agent will rattle some cages and try to get every last penny. We may bend a hair, but not too much.
Nothing to see here...at least in May. Talk to me in July.